Training - aim high or know your limits?

[milliepops]

So, promoted by the various threads in TR about there being no interesting discussion, here's something that I've been pondering about recently and would be interested to hear the thoughts of other HHOers. I'm not sure if I'll explain it very clearly but I'll have a go!

I've been helping a few people with their horses lately, all hobby riders with varying levels of experience on green but uncomplicated horses. Some have competitive ambitions, others just want to improve their horses. Most common issues are essentially down to lack of straightness, suppleness, inconsistent contact and horse not sharp to the leg. Nothing earth shattering, stuff that all of us struggle with at some degree and return to throughout a horse's career.

It is second nature to me when sitting on a horse to address these things by riding a horse to the contact, introducing simple schooling exercises like shoulder fore or shallow leg yield to help show the horse a different way of going, improve its balance etc and generally make the basic way of going better.

I get the impression that there are others who would see this as pointless if the rider is (a) not at the stage of THEIR training to be able to ride a competition standard leg yield, for example, or (b) if the rider is not interested in riding at a "higher level".

My personal feeling is that I have enjoyed being gently stretched by my trainer and encouraged not to put limits on my aspirations. I've learned to see schooling exercises as tools to play with to develop the horse (at all levels of training) rather than badges to be "earnt". But do others prefer to stick to basic W/T/C and work to perfect the things they are familiar with?

Hope that makes sense, interested in opinions?

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I try never to out a limit on me or the horse.

Not quite what you asked but then I am not the type of rider you are helping, and take the exact approach you do when I ride a new horse.

I'm helping a friend rehab a KS horse, I told her (she is a very good friend ) her horse was possibly one of the most rude horses to ride I've ever sat on and how on earth does she stop her (from walk and yes she did just walk through all aids asking her to stop). During my time on the horse I insisted on softness and acceptance of the aids, which meant shallow SI, leg yielding and an insistence that she accept the leg and hand, her horse responded really well and politeness was regained .

My friend previously has run for the hills about schooling, being a hard core jumper/ hunter/ hacking person, however the rehab her horse needs has got her on board (slippery slope muhahaha ) and she asked me a similar question. I told her my thoughts are that regardless of her ever using the schooling moves in a dressage test, her horse now needs to be kept as strong as possible over her back and to do that she needs to work up and over and carry the rider to the best she can. From my bag of knowledge to get her horse to do this she must be supple and strong, to do this she must accept the leg and hand so she will engage her hind end and core, and to do this I would use 'dressage moves' as all these really are are tools to encourage the end result of a strong, supple, engaged horse.

So really I know how you feel MP and I enjoy the feeling of a horse totally listening and the power being directed for good not evil (not referencing my own baby horse here at all!), but it is totally personal. My mum is not interested in this at all. Despite being Topaz's actual owner she has never wanted to do the schooling/ dressage thing and only wants to hack and do fun rides with a bit of jumping, she finds the school tedious in the extreme and looks at my like I've grown an extra head if I suggest a bit of lateral work to spice things up a bit .

From the people I know it is a lack of interest and therefore knowledge in schooling and dressage, and so then a worry of doing things wrong and not seeing the point when they will never use the moves in a test. If people ask me I will always say every horse no matter their use, can benefit from dressage work .

People's limits are only ever in the mind, look at the para riders, accept that you and the horse will probably not be Charlotte and Valegro but it doesn't mean you cannot try and you cannot improve.

I will get my carriage horses to top hat and tails, no I've never done this before but then I'd never done half-pass or flying changes before either.

 

[Farma]

I think aim high 100%! I think teaching people the harder moves, even baby versions of them, improves the understanding of the basics.
For example, when you start lateral work you have to really isolate the body parts and understand how your weight affects the movement, and you can then use the principles to help other things, ie riding a leg yield will help ride into corners and turns better, riding a shoulder fore will help straighten a canter, riding for a lengthened or shortened stride will help to engage and use half halt etc etc the list goes on....
Also it throws the responsibility on the rider to think about what they are doing and the effect it has. It isn't so much to perfect the harder moves but more the knock on effect they have!

 

[Embo]

I think it can be counterproductive to put limits on yourself as a rider or onto a horse. Of course, it's important to understand the limits 'right now', but I don't think it has much bearing on what can happen in the future.

So I say aim for the stars

 

[Wishful]

I agree to an extent but it feels like learning to ride has so many levels and layers that until a particular piece is in place all the knowledge in the world will do nothing. For ages I knew something I was doing was restricting the horses I ride in upwards transitions to and from trot. Although I knew it was me I had to have a few private sessions focussing on my sitting trot and only one that clicked could the issue (unconscious tightening of the inner thigh in anticipation) be isolated because it was masked by bigger issues.

If a rider can't feel if they/the horse are not straight they are going to struggle to correct it without instruction. If the rider has never felt an engaged canter they will struggle to understand how powerful it will feel - I have felt like I'm whizzing along, watch on video and there is no impulsion visible.

Obviously the horse going better means they are less likely to be injured - so selling the schooling exercises as strengthening exercises for the horse might help the fear of high level movements. Gates while mounted needs rein back and basic sideways buttons established and might seem more relevant to the contented hacker.

I think that the general culture in "hobbies" on the uk really suffers because there is too much focus on obvious fun in the early stages rather than focussing on the basics - hence the rush to jump before the rider can influence the quality of the canter.

 

[alainax]

Things like leg yield I would say are within the basic fundamentals. You should be able to leg yeild around a pot hole out hacking, use it to get your horse deeper into a corner etc. Getting the horse and rider to understand the horse moving off each leg independently should come very early on. My begginer son is doing this and he is barely off the lead rein! He also had the most fun doing a turn on the forehand on my big horse on the lead rein the other day ( even though his legs could barely touch past the saddle flaps!)

 

[FestiveFuzz]

It'll come as no surprise to you that I'm a fellow "aim high" rider. I really enjoy adding new tools to my toolkit and seeing the influence they have on M's way of going. I think a lot of this comes from the way my trainer is able to push us outside our comfort zone in a way that challenges me but also doesn't result in a loss of confidence. I suspect her methods aren't for everyone, but as perfectionists I like the way she pushes me to always be better.

 

[milliepops]

Things like leg yield I would say are within the basic fundamentals. You should be able to leg yeild around a pot hole out hacking, use it to get your horse deeper into a corner etc. Getting the horse and rider to understand the horse moving off each leg independently should come very early on. My begginer son is doing this and he is barely off the lead rein! He also had the most fun doing a turn on the forehand on my big horse on the lead rein the other day ( even though his legs could barely touch past the saddle flaps!)

well I feel this way too, and it's also the way I was taught as a child... but when I got on a thoroughly crooked and rigid horse and immediately rode LY and SI in walk before we did ANYTHING else, there were a few raised eyebrows I'm satisfied that it's working because of the progress the horse is making, these are just tools to connect the horse with itself and the rider IMO I don't feel that she would be untangling this fast without it.

 

[Bernster]

Well, I think I'm probably the type of rider you're talking about OP. In terms of goals, ours are fairly modest but stretching for us. I have been a bit lacking in focus but the Wobbleberry Challenge has sorted that out.

As for schooling however, I do like to improve and progress so I'm all for learning some basic lateral movements, a bit of collection and extension, but v baby level, so perhaps I'm a bit in the middle of what you're describing.

Having re thought our training I'm about to start a training boot camp with my boy. I'm really pleased with what we've done together but am thinking that he needs more focussed and experienced training to really help his strength and suppleness and I'm just not good enough to do that. So I'm calling in help from an AI to se if she can straighten us both out!

Can't speak for others but I would say that I've found the level of instruction to be v mixed, the volume of info a bit confusing and a general focus on kick and pull and twiddling of reins hasn't helped my understanding of the correct way of going!

 

[PaddyMonty]

I wouldn't consider LY or SI to be anything but essential basic tools. This is something I teach from a very early stage. Being able to point horse one way and move another is very useful in dealing with all sorts of issues. Also helps novices feel what is happening underneath them and to understand how small changes in their position can either lock down or free a horse.
On the flip side I refuse to move on to more fancy stuff (changes, medium trot etc) until the basic gaits are sorted and the horse is straight most of the time or at least can be corrected by rider.

 

[milliepops]

Can't speak for others but I would say that I've found the level of instruction to be v mixed, the volume of info a bit confusing and a general focus on kick and pull and twiddling of reins hasn't helped my understanding of the correct way of going!

do you have access to a GOOD schoolmaster in your area, Bernster? This is probably the best way to learn a correct feeling. I've popped a friend onto Millie a couple of times recently to help her get away from the kick/pull/twiddle cycle and now she's got a fab connection with her horse developing. & Millie's just a very ordinary amateur horse, still helped her to see where she needed to go.

 

[Apercrumbie]

I am probably similar to some of the riders that the OP is describing in her original thread. I used to compete at a perfectly acceptable level but have had no interest in doing so for nearly a decade now. I have no "ambition" beyond having a happy and healthy horse to ride. However, I do see lateral work as a pretty essential part of training a horse and even my arthritic happy hacking Welsh Sec D has a good solid leg yield "installed". I'm sure that to a competitive rider I must seem as setting myself limits as I have no ambition to let's say, school a horse to Medium level. However I do enjoy being gently stretched in lessons, I take an active interest in training, I just have no ambition to reach a certain level.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I suspect I may be exactly the type of rider you are talking about!

I predominately hack. Somehow, by luck more than design I’ve ended up with a trainer/instructor has ridden to a level I could only ever dream of. She also believes that it is really important that any horse, whether they mainly want to hack like I do or whether they are being aimed at competitions, are trained correctly foremost rather than just for a test – although, if you are into that kind of thing, she’ll help you how to get the best marks out of your test too. She’s quite classical and teaches in-hand/ground work as well as ridden. I’ve never ever realised just how important biomechanics are as a rider before starting to school a bit more & do weekly pilates lessons to help. I’m considering a lesson on a mechanical horse too.

I’m very much only aiming to get around a preliminary test in the near future without *totally* embarrassing myself but in order to help our training, she’s taught me how to ask for in-hand and ride a variety of movements including shoulder in, shoulders, rein-back, leg yield, turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches. We also play with baby collections and extensions! By no means are they polished – some days, I’m certain you wouldn’t recognise the movements! Are we always technically correct? Absolutely not! Are they ‘test ready’ movements? Lordy no.

But we have fun, I’m learning new skills and my horse is slowly getting stronger, straighter and more supple so it’s a win-win all round. Even my physiotherapist has commented that he’s doing much better. He doesn’t work technically ‘on the bit’ with his head and neck in the correct place he goes much better than before when he used to literally have his head and neck hollow and fixed in the school. He’s not helped bless him by the fact that I’m not consistent with my contact and he wouldn’t be a

However, two years to 18 months ago I’d have said even the above was way, way beyond me. It’s partly because ever since my horse’s accident he’s become a little stiffer in one leg due to this and I’ve become much more aware of what I can do to help him from a biomechanical POV. But, also my trainer is the nicest instructor I’ve ever had. She’s so encouraging, and breaks everything down into incremental bits so that I can try to get my head around it and we just laugh and joke and have fun with it. Which has given me so much confidence that I suspect without her, I’d be uninterested not because I don’t care about or enjoy training (I do, even though it is so hard ..!), but because it would seem so far removed from what I could do, it wouldn’t be relevant and I've had some awful instructors in the past.

I’m sure lots of people things we are trying to do things that are way, way beyond us (and they probably are … ) but as long as it’s fun and beneficial for us both why wouldn’t I try? Of course, we always keep in mind that my horse is not naturally physically or mentally built for dressage and has struggled with this at time’s. One lesson in particular, we were working on something he found very tough and after he’d given us a great try even though only about 15 minutes of the lesson had gone we left the school and we pootled up the road for a hack where my instructor walked/jogged around with us and we practised our baby leg-yield and shoulder in on the bridle paths, our turns to get through gates with a bit more style and how I can help use the landscape and tracks to ask him to collect and lengthen.

 

[Jenni_]

I used to be a 'potter about doing what I know best,' but I am now in the aim high camp!

I feel being stretched (to a degree, not outwith a combinations ability though) helps you understand fundamentals better. One example- I did not appreciate and utilise the outside rein entirely until my instructor whacked up our schooling level so I HAD to learn to use it. Subsequently, all my lower level work improved almost instantly because I was now taking that rein into account more consistently and subconsciously. Sounds ridiculous that at my age / length of time riding I still wasn't aware of the true importance of that rein.

It was that push, and that increased motivation that spurred me on to aim higher, and within two months I was booted right out of my intro / prelim comfort zone (where I wasn't even that competitive) into giving elementary a bash. Now I aim high, but have a good instructor to bounce off to keep it realistic.

 

[SEL]

I can't see that my fat horse with PSSM and dodgy hocks is ever going to be challenging Valegro's medal collection** but I still see LY and SI a basic part of her education. She's wonky, stiff and under-developed on one side and I'm not doing her any favours by ignoring this.

Plus she's now one of the best on the yard at doing gates. She completely 'gets' backwards, sideways shuffles etc.



**if they introduce speed haynet eating at the Olympics then we're in with a chance!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Common theme here, the right instructor such a big piece of the puzzle!

I keep trying to get people to have a lesson or two but they don't compete or school so feel it's not really needed, (which they are more than capable out hacking and doing what they're doing so I get it), but I always think but it would all be so much easier with a bit of schooling and a more responsive horse.

 

[milliepops]

Common theme here, the right instructor such a big piece of the puzzle!

yes I feel this too. And if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got...

I keep trying to get people to have a lesson or two but they don't compete or school so feel it's not really needed, (which they are more than capable out hacking and doing what they're doing so I get it), but I always think but it would all be so much easier with a bit of schooling and a more responsive horse.

I guess if people have only ridden horses with very basic training, they don't know what a pleasure hacking a more educated horse can be.

 

[Jenni_]

On the flip side I refuse to move on to more fancy stuff (changes, medium trot etc) until the basic gaits are sorted and the horse is straight most of the time or at least can be corrected by rider.

Another example I have is that my instructor used medium trot to teach me to stop trying to contain too much movement and therefore lose straightness. Horse has a fabby natural medium, so its not an issue for her, but any time I start to put the handbrake on too much in the front and forget to use my legs to keep her straight/ forward, she asks me to send her forward to medium for a few steps - ok its baby medium but telling me to ask for that makes me consciously take the handbrake off and engage my ruddy legs. From there its a case of refining those aids to play in the working / collected trot.

I can correct straightness, but the quickest way to do it faff free for me is to almost shake it all off, go forward, and regroup at the other end of the school. Now when we're wiggling too much, its a case of 'think about preparation to medium, but don't go forward into it' and hey presto, my legs work again.

Comes down to partnerships / instructors though I suppose!

 

[Bernster]

do you have access to a GOOD schoolmaster in your area, Bernster? This is probably the best way to learn a correct feeling. I've popped a friend onto Millie a couple of times recently to help her get away from the kick/pull/twiddle cycle and now she's got a fab connection with her horse developing. & Millie's just a very ordinary amateur horse, still helped her to see where she needed to go.

Hmm maybe I've not given this enough of a go but I have had a lesson at talland and contessa, both with a good rep for dressage. Didn't get loads out of them tbh although only did one lesson to be fair. Best experience I had was a previous ins who did lessons on hers which was really instructive, but both of them have now retired!

 

[rosiesowner]

I am certainly now one of those 'aim for the stars' people. Anyone who visits my instagram page needs to be ready with a sick bucket in hand as some of my posts are quite sappy. I've even had people poke a bit of fun at me for taking it all too 'seriously', especially as I wont be able to get out and about regularly until next year. However my horse is my life and riding is my art and the only thing I'm really any good at, so I certainly take it very seriously.

I used to not want to push myself and my horse out of our comfort zone, for fear of failing or looking 'stupid'. However now I am totally open to being pushed and planning and being focused and forming training schedules like I'm some sort of professional But Chilli and I's time together is what I put my heart, soul (and money!!) into so I think why not see how far we can go? Yes, know your limits, but don't let your perception of your limits stop you. As a result, we just recently got our best score at Nov of 74.76%. Yes, not dazzling but brilliant for us!

As AlexHyde said, I think the common theme here is instructors. I can only really afford one lesson per month, plus the instructor only visits the yard once a month so I make sure to gather lots of exercises and things to focus on in between lessons.


For the basic schooling i.e. LY, SI... I like to test these things as I ride any horse for the first time to help with my internal assessment of them. I also get them into Chilli's warm every time in different forms as I think they're fundamental and incredibly important. I use them where I can when I teach too.

 

[Widgeon]

I wouldn't consider LY or SI to be anything but essential basic tools. This is something I teach from a very early stage. Being able to point horse one way and move another is very useful in dealing with all sorts of issues. Also helps novices feel what is happening underneath them and to understand how small changes in their position can either lock down or free a horse.
On the flip side I refuse to move on to more fancy stuff (changes, medium trot etc) until the basic gaits are sorted and the horse is straight most of the time or at least can be corrected by rider.

Completely agree with this. I am one of those novice riders and it's only since returning to riding after a few years off post university that it's really started to click, and that's because I've found an instructor who clearly feels the same as you. If you don't know what something (like leg yield, or even properly balanced canter diamonds, etc) feels like when it's done properly, you're always going to be at a disadvantage. Although hanging on and whizzing around in canter is great fun, and it helped me learn the basics as a child, it doesn't really teach you problem solving tools. I wish now I'd done more schooling as a child when I was more balanced and bendy - it's a challenge now, and that's fun. The satisfaction I get when I finally crack something I've been struggling with is enormous.

 

[milliepops]

Hmm maybe I've not given this enough of a go but I have had a lesson at talland and contessa, both with a good rep for dressage. Didn't get loads out of them tbh although only did one lesson to be fair. Best experience I had was a previous ins who did lessons on hers which was really instructive, but both of them have now retired!

Did they set the agenda for the lesson or did you? I think you could benefit from trying to set something up with the aim that you want to feel what it is to have a horse connected from your leg to your hand, or something similar... this feels quite basic when you can have fun doing whizzy stuff on a schoolmaster but is the most relevant thing they can teach you because it applies to every horse you sit on

just a thought, only because the difference in my friend from sitting on a horse that she just took up (and held onto without throwing it away) the contact and then rode towards it is HUGE. No more pushing and pulling

 

[Bernster]

Did they set the agenda for the lesson or did you? I think you could benefit from trying to set something up with the aim that you want to feel what it is to have a horse connected from your leg to your hand, or something similar... this feels quite basic when you can have fun doing whizzy stuff on a schoolmaster but is the most relevant thing they can teach you because it applies to every horse you sit on

just a thought, only because the difference in my friend from sitting on a horse that she just took up (and held onto without throwing it away) the contact and then rode towards it is HUGE. No more pushing and pulling

I've been a bit dismissive since those two lessons I'll admit, but they were a few years ago so maybe I'd get more out of them now. I have no trouble spending time getting the basics right but I found myself endlessly going round in 20m circles doing the same stuff as I do at home so felt like I didn't really get anything out of them. But that may well be more to do with my level of riding than anything else of course!

 

[DabDab]

So, given that I and many others would rely on leg yield and shoulder in when training a green horse, why oh why are they not part of a novice test rather than medium trot?

Does this subconsciously encourage the wrong emphasis in training? I know so very many people who have spent forever cruising round doing novice tests where they score very well and yet really struggling with elementary despite both horse and rider being perfectly capable. Watching them school it's almost like they've got stuck in a competitive novice trench that the can't climb out of because it would require going back a few steps before being able to step up.

I don't really know what category I fit into - I like improving a horse but I think I enjoy feeling the results of that improvement round a course of jumps more than in a competitive dressage ring. Having said that, I am always slightly bemused by friends that I go out jump training with who marvel at my horse cruising round turns that they couldn't make and staying poker straight to the tiniest of jumping objects, which was surely the original intended outcome from dressage training.......

Sorry for the rather gloomy outlook on competitive dressage, obviously there are plenty people that it doesn't either alienate or trap in mediocrity, but I come across them far less often.

 

[milliepops]

So, given that I and many others would rely on leg yield and shoulder in when training a green horse, why oh why are they not part of a novice test rather than medium trot?

Does this subconsciously encourage the wrong emphasis in training? I know so very many people who have spent forever cruising round doing novice tests where they score very well and yet really struggling with elementary despite both horse and rider being perfectly capable. Watching them school it's almost like they've got stuck in a competitive novice trench that the can't climb out of because it would require going back a few steps before being able to step up.

Agree with all of this ^^
Weird isn't it, most horses can lengthen to some degree but until you get the foundation of engagement and straightness right, most of us are doomed to 'quickened' or 'running' or 'no medium shown' when first attempting those novice tests. And then you get a bit of watered down LY at elem. and suddenly at medium the whole raft of lateral work shows up. Plus sitting trot. Wham! :lol:

Obviously the intention must be that you train this other stuff at home as part of the normal repertoire for developing a horse but it does seem strange to not have to demonstrate even a very easy bit of sideways before the medium paces appear in shows.

I feel frustrated for the perpetual prelim/novice rider, I know I've taken a hammering on here before for appearing to say that people should have more competitive aspirations and it's not that at all... if people are happy at the foundation levels then that's fab, but it just feels like sometimes people feel the other work is "not for people like them" whereas I feel that improving the way of going is for everyone, it's inclusive, whether you intend to show it to a judge or not.
the girl I've popped up on Millie has a dream about elementary and looks at me in disbelief when I say she can do it next year if she puts her mind to it.

 

[SEL]

whereas I feel that improving the way of going is for everyone, it's inclusive, whether you intend to show it to a judge or not.

Absolutely - as much as I love a blast around a field I get a bigger kick out of fatty learning that she can do SI on the right rein as well as the left. The fact that's she struggled so much physically since being backed makes the little achievements even more worthwhile.

I completely agree with others that have said the quality of the instructor is key. There's absolutely no point in someone rolling up with a set-in-stone plan for me and the fat one. She has physical limitations and I often can't tell how they are going to pan out until I'm up on her. That doesn't mean she's a write-off for a lesson - I have no problem with a hour spent in walk if its constructive - but it does test both the experience and empathy of the instructor.

 

[Apercrumbie]

Common theme here, the right instructor such a big piece of the puzzle!

Very, very true. I've had some good instructors over the years but in reality, have I ever had a great instructor who a) believed in me and b) inspired me, perhaps not. Maybe I would have kept my interest in competing? And while I am by no means a terrible rider, I would probably be a better rider today had I more ambition.

 

[Casey76]

I'm unlikely now to get out competing, but I don't see why that should stop us from learning. SI, LY etc are part of my regular warm up, a check to make sure I can mobilize both halves of my horse both separately and together.

I went on a riding holiday not so long ago, and yes, I knew ahead of time that it was trekking, but both of the horses that I rode had absolutely no concept of stepping away from the leg. I felt positively unsafe riding a horse that only knew how to be led around by it's nose.

 

[j1ffy]

I think there are two parts to the question - what is important to know as part of basic training, and how high should you aim when competing. I don't view learning basic lateral work (or even less basic lateral work!) as 'aiming high'. To me, 'aiming high' relates more to competitive goals. I'd love to compete in tails one day but right now it's a pipe dream rather than an aim, although thankfully dressage is something that it's possible to do well into one's later years so I should have a few decades!

In terms of training, I'm another who views the ability to LY and SI as absolutely basic. Like Casey76, I feel unsafe on a horse that won't move away from my leg. I was thinking about it only this morning as I've been lucky enough to be in Spain for the weekend (bliss! I'm now at Gibraltar airport awaiting my flight and I really don't want to leave) and this morning I was backstop for a ride of 8 guests at my friend's riding holiday place. There was one guy who is very novice-y and seemed to struggle to steer his horse around trees (eek!) during the canters. I explained that he can put his left leg on to move the horse to the right, and vice versa. His response was "horses are trained so differently here!" as the horses he'd been learning and hacking on in Kent wouldn't do that. Wow...my response was that it's not different training, it's just that they've had training! Nothing to do with dressage, in my view it's basic safety when doing anything and in Spain the 'sideways' response is trained in-hand before a rider gets on.

I do think there's an important step for any rider from riding a horse to training / improving / schooling (delete as appropriate) a horse. Initially lessons and riding are focused on learning how to get a response from the horse, and later the rider needs to learn how to improve the horse and / or change its response. This requires an element of feel to know where the horse is crooked or blocking, which ideally would be developed in the 'learning to ride' phase. But in reality the 'learn to ride' and 'learn to train the horse' go hand in hand for most of us in the UK once we get to lateral work. I watch children having lessons in Spain and it's very different as they will learn on schoolmasters, usually stallions whose saddle flaps come down to the children's ankles, and they learn the 'feel' from day one. If only we all had access to that on a regular basis!

 

[daffy44]

Good topic! I am absolutely in the "aim high" group. But didnt do schooling on ponies when I was a child, I did point and kick, faster, higher etc, it was when I started backing horses in my teens that I started to think about lateral work etc, although in the context of show jumpers, not dressage horses.

I came to dressage much later, via a failed eventer and a truelly fantastic instructor (yes, I see the theme!) She was amazing and never imposed any limits on us, she believed totally in the power of systematic, correct training, and she is right.

Now I am a trainer myself, and I try to follow her example, I never put limits on the people I train, but it saddens me how many people put limits on themselves. People often see dressage as some mystical language that they will never learn, so they dont start to try, and sometimes people simply are not prepared to put the work in. But in general, I feel most people can achieve so much more than they think they can.